1 PETER 5:6-11 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
THEME OF THE DAY: HIS SHOULDERS ARE STRONGER THAN OURS. Today’s scripture is the Apostle Peter’s closing instructions to a group of dispersed and suffering Christians. Most of them read as a bullet list – humble yourselves, be sober-minded, be watchful, and resist him. These commands are surrounded by promises as well as the reality in the Christian’s life. The promises are God exalting us in due time and restoring, conforming, strengthening, and establishing us after we have endured the reality in the Christian life – suffering.
Going back to the instructions, really commands, you may have noticed I skipped one – casting all our anxieties on Him. This initial nugget omission gives way to our nugget’s theme.
Why would God command us to cast all of our anxieties which might be expanded to mean life’s worries, stresses, fretting, and concerns? For at least two reasons . . .
First, life is too hard for us to go alone. When sin entered the world, we became incapable of carrying its burdens on our own and on our own we are because sin separated us from God. Yet, the love of God came to us when we could not or would not come to Him. And He came as the burden-carrying God-man, the Lord Jesus. Our burdens and sin were cast on Him to be removed from us. In Matthew’s Gospel, He would give us the most encouraging invitation find in the Bible for us to enter into union with His burden-carrying Person . . .
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Another reason why God commands us to cast all our anxieties on Him is because we are created and then re-created in Christ to be dependent creatures on God. We were never created to be independent but live in constant dependence upon God. Here is the joy and beauty of the Christian life; being the sheep of the Lord’s pasture under His constant care . . .
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23).
Yes, dependency defines us, and when we sit down and think about life, our shoulders are not capable of carrying the heavy burdens of our sin and lives. We need stronger ones. And God has provided them in the Person of the Lord Jesus. Cast those anxieties on Him. He welcomes us to do so!
PRAYER: Father, teach me to live totally dependent upon You for that is my created purpose with You.
REFLECTION: Living independent, self-sufficient, and self-reliant are not from God, but Satan and self.